From Esther Akaa, Lafia
The Nasarawa State Government has announced its decision to demolish all structures built on water ways across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state, to tackle issues relating to flooding.
The State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Kwanta Yakubu, stated this while briefing Journalists immediately after monitoring the monthly sanitation exercise in Lafia on Saturday.
Yakubu, who was represented by the Chief Environment Officer and Chief Prosecutor of the Ministry, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed, said the action was as a result of the recent prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), that 25 states of the federation including Nasarawa, would experience flooding.
He explained that the state government had already directed residents who were residing in flood prone areas to relocate to safer areas in order to protect themselves from the floods.
He said, The Ministry of Environment is working in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nasarawa State Waste Management and Sanitation Authority (NASWAMSA) and the Media, to sensitize the public on the issue of the intending floods as predicted by NiMET.
“We have been moving from one Local Government Area to another to sensitize communities in order to minimize the effect of floods in the state.”
Speaking on the level of compliance on the sanitation exercise for the month of August, the commissioner expressed satisfaction and commended the efforts of traditional rulers, chairmen of LGAs as well as the security agencies for their support towards the successes recorded so far.
“The level of compliance is 85 per cent. Since 86 people have been arrested today across the state, which is the basis for our assessment of compliance, you will observe that they are less compared to last month when 123 people were arrested.
“As we looked around, we noticed that at least 98 per cent of the stores were closed and that peoples movements were restricted. The ministry of Environment and Natural Resources will continue to enforce the state environmental laws for the good of all residents.
The Voice reports that 86 persons believed to have violated the state’s environmental sanitation laws, were apprehended and prosecuted by several mobile courts across the state.
